Early Prediction for Table, Ladders and Chairs 2018

The TLC lineup is set in stone, and one thing which can be said for the match card is that it is jam-packed. The last PPV of this year has TWELVE matches which is quite surprising because TLC isn't a 'Big Four' PPV.

It is going to be held in San Jose, California and the most brutal PPV is going to get a huge reaction from the crowd. WWE has given us a fairly finalised match-card, and there's not much of a chance that they will make any more changes to it.

TLC is going to determine a lot of things. It is going to determine the 30th person to enter both the Royal Rumble matches, it will decide the fate of Baron Corbin, and also the return of Braun Strowman.

With 12 matches on the card already, WWE has completely ignored the US Title. No match has been announced involving the US Title. But, if WWE is planning to add a US Title match, then it is probably going to be Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rusev.

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We know what the match card is, let's delve deeper and predict what might be in store at this year-end event.

#1 Mixed Match Challenge: Fabulous Truth (R-Truth and Carmella) vs Mahalicia (Jinder Mahal vs Alicia Fox with the Singh Brothers)

Winner: Fabulous Truth (R-Truth and Carmella)

Stakes are high, but the match will be a fun filler

This match might feature in the pre-show because no one actually cares about this match. All the superstars involved in this match are jobbers currently, and they are not given a push at all. Surprisingly, both Carmella and Jinder Mahal were champions last year, and this year they have been reduced to jobbers.

With R-Truth involved, this match is going to be fun, but the stipulation is pretty serious. The winners of this match are going to enter #30 in their respective Royal Rumble match. As WWE has finally decided to use R-Truth, we can see Fabulous Truth winning the Mixed Match Challenge.

#2 Intercontinental Championship match: Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins

Winner: Dean Ambrose

It will be better if Rollins drops the championship

This is one of the most hyped matches on the TLC match card. After Ambrose made his return, it was quite obvious that he would turn on Seth Rollins. They are bitter rivals now, and to push Ambrose as a relevant heel they might hand him the championship

Before having a feud with Ziggler over the summer, Rollins won the title at Wrestlemania 34. To be honest, his 2nd reign as the Intercontinental Champion wasn't a magnificent one because of his involvement with The Shield. He can lose it without looking weak.

Also, if we believe the rumour mills, he might face Lesnar at Wrestlemania 35. These rumours aren't baseless because at RAW this week, we saw Rollins' disdain for Lesnar's part-time attitude. After dropping the title, 'The Kingslayer' might go after that RAW Universal Championship and give it the glory that it deserves.

Ambrose needs a push as he hasn't won any single title this year, and Rollins losing one won't cause him any damage.

#3 Braun Strowman vs Baron Corbin (TLC Match)

Winner: Braun Strowman

After thrashing Braun Strowman out of the equation, Lashley, Corbin and McIntyre are the Big Bad Wolves of WWE. Currently, Corbin thinks that Strowman's return is next to impossible and he is going to win by forfeit.

WWE is playing with people's minds because they want Strowman's return to be a surprise, but many speculators believe that Strowman is returning to defeat Corbin and stripping him of his GM powers.

In this week's episode of RAW, we saw that Rollins pointed out the problems RAW is facing and Corbin is the catalyst of all those problems. If WWE is acknowledging its problems, they might want to rectify it too.

Braun Strowman can help the Universe by defeating the GM-elect, and him going against Brock Lesnar is the cherry on the cake. Strowman has been sharing his workout images and videos, and we can figure out that he is ready to annihilate Corbin.

#4 RAW Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax

Winner: Ronda Rousey

Jax will walk out without the championship

Rousey is one of the most protected stars in WWE right now, and the management won't tamper her win record with a defeat from the hands of Jax. Jax is pushed immensely, but she is still quite rough in the ring, and her mic-skills aren't great too.

She faced a lot of flak from the fans when she injured Becky Lynch and that caused the latter her match against Rousey.

There are rumours that women from the 'blue brand' might interfere, but that is very unlikely at the current moment.

Rousey is a huge asset for WWE right now, and she is considered as the female Lesnar. WWE wouldn't want to take the risk of hampering her star power by making her lose to Jax, which is virtually impossible.

We might see Rousey going to Wrestlemania as a champion, and currently, there are no women in the RAW roster who can defeat 'The Rowdy Ronda Rousey'.

#5 WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Bryan won't give up the Championship so early

WWE gave us a shocker by turning Daniel Bryan into a heel. He was one of the biggest underdogs and babyfaces WWE has ever produced in its entirety. The Smackdown landscape is very interesting right now, there are so many feuds going on, and the two-hour show is producing high-quality content when compared to its red counterpart.

Undoubtedly, it is a house Styles has built for the past two years, but Bryan has given it a new aura, which is magnificent.

Currently, WWE wants to build Bryan as the top heel of SD Live, and taking the championship away from him so fast will only harm his new character. When we talk about the matches Bryan and Styles produce, they are simply phenomenal.

The WWE Universe can expect another 'A-grade' match, but by hook or by crook, Bryan will walk out as the WWE Champion.

#6 Smackdown Women's Championship: Asuka vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte (TLC Match)

Winner: Charlotte

To put in simple words, this match is main-event worthy. The hype, the story-telling, the people involved - everything about this match is amazing. 'The Man' and 'The Queen' have been dueling against each other for months now, and adding Asuka to the match is a smart move. Asuka brings in a different element to the fight.

Asuka's trajectory this year has been very sad, but interesting. She entered the main roster with an undefeated streak, she won the Royal Rumble match this year, but after moving to the blue brand, her graph has fallen drastically. She has been treated as a jobber, and it would be hard to believe that she lost a match against The IIconics.

But Smackdown Live is trying to push her again by giving her a shot at the Women's Championship. The 'Empress of Tomorrow' will be up against 'The Queen' and 'The Irish Lasskicker', and that guarantees an amazing match.

There are high chances that Charlotte might win the Championship and there are many reasons which will back up my statement.

One, after Becky Lynch's anti-hero gimmick has received a lot of positive response and appreciation, WWE could be planning to hand it over to Charlotte because she has always been pushed more than any other female wrestler. Two, Charlotte is considered by fans as the 'Female Roman Reigns', as she has received an immense push, and WWE will not shy away from giving her one more championship reign.

#7 Finn Balor vs Drew McIntyre

Winner: Drew McIntyre

The Scottish Psychopath will defeat the former Irish Champ

Drew McIntyre lost his first match after his return to Dolph Ziggler after Finn Balor decided to interfere. He set the records straight when he defeated Ziggler this week, and annihilated him after the match ended. McIntyre is being pushed as the top heel of RAW, and there is no doubt about it. He fits in all the categories that McMahon has made for his top star.

Balor is the most under-utilized wrestler on the main roster. Period. He received his last push when he won the Universal Championship. After that, he is the guy everyone can thrash and climb the ladder of success. So, there is no doubt that McIntyre will defeat Balor at TLC. This was the easiest prediction by far, and probably the only one that everybody will agree with.

McIntyre will leave no stones unturned to take his revenge on Balor, and destroy him completely.

#8 Elias vs Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush (Ladder Match)

Winner: Elias

Elias may use the stipulation in his favour

Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor, Baron Corbin vs Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley vs Elias belong to the same trajectory and as 'The Chosen One' and 'Monster amongst Men' have got their wins, it will be interesting who will win this match and break the tie.

This feud is not too complex, but it was hard to predict a winner. The feud should end as soon as possible because it is boring and it doesn't need to continue after this PPV. The only thing which came out of this feud is that Elias has improved his in-ring skills and he can now be pushed as an upper mid-card wrestler.

Lashley has Lio Rush by his side, but WWE might want to end it on a positive note by giving Elias the win. The entire fight is based on the stipulation of the 'Hanging Guitar', Elias can use that as his advantage and win the match. After all the beatings that 'The Songsmith' has inflicted throughout the summer, the feud should end with him victorious.

#9 Smackdown Tag- team Championship Match: The Bar vs The New Day vs The Usos

Winner: The Usos

The RAW tag-team division is in a pretty bad condition. Comparatively, Smackdown is in better condition. Maybe that's the reason why they earned a match at TLC. The New Day has been the SD Tag Champs thrice, The Bar has won it once, and The Usos have won it thrice too.

As it is a Triple Threat, the chances of The Bar retaining is very low. Most probably, they might split up and be used as single stars. But, we can't ignore the fact that The Usos are on a roll these days. They have defeated AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan many times over.

WWE will push The Usos now as they have performed amazingly well after their heel turn in 2016. In the long run, they are likely to prove that they are better champions and they can mess around with other tag-teams apart from The New Day and The Bar.

#10 Natalya vs Ruby Riott (Tables Match)

Winner: Ruby Riott

It is nice to see that WWE is promoting female feuds other than those involved in Championship matches, but this one is completely ridiculous. They have been ridiculing the dead, and it is not a captivating feud too.

They are just actors who are playing their parts. Personally, I don't think they need to exploit the death of a family member. Thankfully, the match is a Tables match, and that is its only saving grace.

Clearly, Riott is going to pick up the win, and there is a high probability that it is going to be scheduled on the pre-show or it will be used as a filler match. The stipulation is going to be the only saving grace. As Ruby Riott is being pushed as a mid-card heel wrestler, she will defeat 'The Queen of Harts' in this short, filler match.

#11 WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy vs Cedric Alexander

Winner: Buddy Murphy

Buddy Murphy has been reigning over 205 Live for the past few months after he won his championship at Super Show-Down in 'The Land Down Under'. 'The Juggernaut' of 205 Live hasn't been an amazing champion, but alongside Alexander, he can produce a good match in San Jose, California.

Alexander had been holding the title for about around 6 months before he handed it over Murphy earlier this year.

Given that there are many matches which are hyped and greatly anticipated, this match will struggle to stand out. But 205 Live is known to put up amazing 'wrestling' matches, so it won't disappoint the hardcore wrestling fans.

Murphy won't lose his title so fast as it will damage his persona. He might hold on to the title for a little more time. Maybe, until Royal Rumble or maybe even Wrestlemania? One never knows.

#12 Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton (Chairs Match)

Winner: Randy Orton

At TLC, 'The Viper' and 'Mr. 619' will settle a score with a dozen or more chairs all around the arena. Their scorching rivalry between them has dropped many jaw-dropping moments, and it is interesting to see Orton getting back to his natural heel persona.

This week at SD Live, Mysterio attacked Orton with a chair and took his spiteful revenge after Orton unmasked him a few weeks ago.

It is very clear that Orton is being built as the top heel of the mid-card wrestlers. He is brutal, vindictive, and shrewd and he fits perfectly into that role. 'The Apex Predator' will leave no stones unturned when it comes to proving his superiority over smaller athletes.

If one watches WWE closely, we will figure out that whichever star has the upper hand before the PPV usually ends up losing in their PPV match. This week at SD Live, Mysterio had the upper hand when he attacked Orton viciously. Orton will have the upper hand at TLC, and he will defeat Mysterio in the Chairs Match.

Edited by Gabby Duran